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Some would have you believe that a brand strapline or tagline is of little importance, that words can be easily changed these days online, as and when there’s the slightest shift in direction.
Some would say it is merely an introduction to a brand, a tease to get your audience to find out more. And of course, a great line will indeed elicit a response from an audience by doing some of these important things:
And that’s all very well, but in our opinion, perhaps because we’re as passionate about advertising as you are about your product, brilliant words can paint an enduring picture for your brand and should talk to your audience in their terms. In an ideal world, your ‘words’ will perfect reflect your brand personality, be memorable for your audience and be strongly associated with your brand over time. Sound too lofty an aspiration? Well who doesn’t remember:
Once you pop you can’t stop.
Finger lickin’ good.
Ahhh Bisto
Beanz meanz Heinz
You only get an ooh with Typhoo
Just do it
Because you’re worth it…
Need we go on?
At The Lane, we try terribly hard to get our clients to agree to some simple rules when it comes to messaging. We call them the Lane Line Laws:
Oh and finally, you’ve gotta be prepared to stick with it.
And it’s not just about your tagline, that’s just your header row. Everything you write from and about your brand has to reflect your brand wheel. Anything that your audience reads from your brand should sound like you. You’d know if your friend sent you a letter and didn’t write it themselves, the same goes for your brand. Investing in copywriting and tone of voice guidelines is an essential element of your brand toolkit and is as crafted as your visual brand identity and brand guidelines.
Here are some questions that our clients ask us about brand messaging.
Brand messaging refers to the consistent communication of a brand’s value proposition, identity, and unique selling points to its target audience. This messaging is conveyed through various channels, such as advertising, packaging, social media, and public relations. Effective brand messaging helps establish a strong brand identity, fosters customer loyalty, and differentiates the brand from competitors. By resonating with consumers on an emotional and rational level, well-crafted brand messaging can drive awareness, preference, and ultimately, business success.
A brand messaging framework is a structured approach to developing and articulating a brand’s key messages and unique value proposition. It typically consists of several components, including the brand’s mission, vision, values, and unique selling points. By systematically addressing these elements, a brand messaging framework ensures coherence and consistency across all communication channels. This approach helps businesses create a strong brand identity, connect with their target audience, and differentiate themselves from competitors, ultimately contributing to long-term success.
We usually use a combination of a brand wheel, which includes the personality, values, reasons to believe, proposition and essence; alongside a tone of voice and key messages document.
A brand messaging strategy is a carefully planned approach to communicate a brand’s unique value proposition, identity, and benefits to its target audience. The strategy encompasses the development of key messages, tone of voice, and selection of appropriate communication channels. By implementing a cohesive brand messaging strategy, businesses can establish a strong brand identity, resonate with consumers on an emotional and rational level, differentiate themselves from competitors, and ultimately enhance their market presence and business success.
Brand messaging pillars are the core themes or key messages that encapsulate a brand’s unique value proposition, benefits, and identity. These pillars serve as the foundation for all brand communication, ensuring consistency and coherence across various channels, such as advertising, social media, and public relations. By focusing on these messaging pillars, we can effectively convey their brand’s essence to the target audience, create a strong and memorable brand identity, and differentiate themselves in a competitive market.
Conducting a brand messaging workshop can be beneficial if you’re looking to refine your brand identity and communication strategy. These interactive sessions allow team members to collaborate, share insights, and develop cohesive messaging that effectively resonates with the target audience. While not mandatory, a brand messaging workshop can foster alignment within the organisation, ensure consistency across channels, and provide a solid foundation for future marketing initiatives, ultimately contributing to a stronger brand presence and improved business performance.
We’d usually do a brand workshop as part of a wider brand strategy and identity development project, but can work within the scope of your requirements.
A brand messaging matrix can be a valuable tool for businesses seeking to maintain consistent and coherent communication across various channels and touchpoints. This matrix organises key messages, target audiences, and communication objectives, providing a clear roadmap for content creation and marketing efforts.
While not always essential, a brand messaging matrix can streamline your messaging process, helping the consistency and impact of your brand identity, and ensure that the brand’s unique value proposition resonates effectively with the intended audience, therefore driving business success.
We can work with you to develop the most effective matrix for your organisation, always with the aim of making it as simple and effective as possible.
This is another name for a brand messaging framework. It’s a way of organising the messaging to create the biggest impact for the business, by resonating clearly and consistently with customers.
Inconsistent brand messaging can be damaging to a business’s reputation and success. It can cause confusion for consumers, dilute the brand’s identity, and weaken its positioning within the market.
Furthermore, inconsistency in messaging can actually undermine customer trust and loyalty, as it may appear unreliable or unprofessional. We talk to our clients about how credibility + visibility x consistency = profitability.
By failing to communicate a clear and coherent brand image, businesses risk losing potential customers to competitors with a more consistent and compelling brand message.
There is no right or wrong way to develop a brand messaging document. We build in what is most useful and valuable to the individual business, which may depend on things such as the size and experience of the team using it.
We generally start with tone of voice and messaging pillars as a basis. We may also include the vision and mission, brand purpose statement, and the full brand strategy wheel.
Again, this is a type of messaging framework or architecture. It is a visual representation which illustrates the hierarchy and relationship of key messages, value proposition, and communication elements. Often structured as a house or pyramid, this model typically features the brand essence or overarching message at the top, followed by supporting pillars representing core themes, and additional layers for specific benefits or unique selling points. The brand messaging house ensures consistent and coherent communication, fostering a strong brand identity and effective connection with the target audience.
Give us a call, or complete the form. We’ll put the kettle on and by the time you get here we’ll already be thinking about your business.